Monday, June 29, 2009

Daily Cal: Berkeley May Become Home to First Fully Accredited Islamic College in US

Contributing Writer

Monday, June 29, 2009

Category: News > City > Business


Local Islamic leaders and city officials said they are open to the possibility of Berkeley being home to the first fully accredited Islamic college in the nation.

Zaytuna College, located in Downtown Berkeley at 2070 Allston Way, Suite 300, is moving ahead with plans to seek accreditation as a four-year institution after graduating its pilot class of five students in 2008, according to the college's Web site.

Advisors for the project have scheduled a June vote to decide whether Zaytuna College could open as an officially accredited institution as early as fall 2010, according to the Associated Press.

"I think it would be wonderful to have," said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. "It would be a nice addition to our academic and religious community."

Two prominent American Muslim scholars, Imam Zaid Shakir and Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, are behind the project, having spent years developing a curriculum that incorporates a liberal arts education and training in Islamic scholarship, according to the AP.

Officials at Zaytuna College were unavailable for comment.

The college will offer courses in Arabic language and in Islamic theology and law, said Munir Jiwa, who works regularly with Zaytuna College and founded the Center of Islamic Studies at the Graduate Theological Union.

The college will represent a "collaboration" between scholarship and the practice of the Islamic faith, providing training for the Islamic religious leaders who are much needed throughout the country, he said.

"This collaboration is important for increasing the role religion plays in public life," he said. "Zaytuna, UC Berkeley and the GTU are leaders in these conversations."

Ramy Salah, former president of the UC Berkeley Muslim Students Association, said that the association has strong ties to Zaytuna and looks forward to its becoming more established.

"American Muslim identity is something new and evolving," Salah said. "The American Muslim scholars at Zaytuna have the resources for American Muslims to develop their identity and knowledge of the religion."

Tags: Zaytuna University



Article Link: http://www.dailycal.org/article/105981



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